Runt of the Pack
by Caboosetrain
Summary: Academy Students are given three chances to graduate from the academy and become Genin. Konaha's Jinchuuriki has just failed for the last time. It was Unacceptable. Sarutobi was no fool. Naruto was an incredible asset to the hidden leaf village. If Naruto could not become powerful through the traditional way, then he would become powerful in the shadows of Konaha. ANBU Naruto.


Ohhhhhh boy, here we go again. Caboosetrain here with yet another story again. I liked the idea I thought of, so I decided to throw it down on the computer as soon as I got home, which could possibly be a mistake since I got midterms next week, but nonetheless, im done, so I guess it doesn't really matter anymore lol. I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer- Do not own Naruto…still getting over the fact that its over…what a shitty ending man. It's a shame.

Thoughts- _Italics_

_**Bold- Tailed Beasts/ whatever I need it for lol**_

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Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and leaned back into his chair. It was quite a peaceful night. The stars were out, the weather was nice, and oddly enough, the paperwork was lax, yet the Hokage was still anxious. Yes, being Hokage was stressful regardless of what was going on, and it will always be so, but the current issue at hand was quite…demanding.

Uzumaki Naruto had one last chance to graduate from the Academy, which happened to be less than 10 hours away.

What was he to do about the boy? The boy was supposed to have great potential, being the offspring of two great Shinobi, the 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, but he still managed to continue to carry the honorary title of "Dobe". The boy was just god awful with his academics. Naruto ditched class constantly to pull his pranks rather than taking the academy seriously and study. At first, Sarutobi had thought the young blonde's education was being sabotaged, but upon investigation, all academy teachers treated the boy decently. They treated him fairly, never abandoning the boy. The boy's failure was his own fault.

This wouldn't do at all. No, Naruto Uzumaki was Konahagakure's only Jinchuuriki.

It was no secret that the boy would be used as a weapon. All Jinchuuriki are. They provide a rather massive advantage thanks to the bijuu sealed within. The village council had been patient with Naruto at first. Some very well-known Shinobi were late bloomers, so maybe this was the case with the young Uzumaki. Years dragged on though, and it became apparent that the boy was utterly useless. Couldn't even manage a simple Bunshin Jutsu, although Sarutobi was sure it was due to his large chakra reserves. The point still stands though. If Naruto did not graduate, he would be taken out of the Ninja program. It was protocol for students that could not pass the exam after their third time. If that happened, Konahagakure would lose a very powerful tool.

Sarutobi took another drag from his pipe.

"_So it seems I have no choice"_

The wise old man loved the boy like he was his own Grandkid, but he was also the Militaristic dictator of the hidden leaf village. Naruto was an asset that they could not afford to lose, especially since they lost so many men and women due to the Kyubbi attack.

With a few quick hand signs and a smack upon his desk, a message was sent out via seal.

Several moments passed before a poof of smoke appeared in the middle of the Hokage's office, revealing a man, standing at around five feet tall and nine inches, sporting a white cloak and a blank white porcelain mask.

"You called Hokage-Sama?"

Sarutobi took his pipe, the very same one he smoked to cope with the horrors of the first great Shinobi war, and set it down on his desk.

"Indeed Commander. It seems the chances of plan B going into action are quite probable."

The ANBU Commander gave a brisk nod.

" Hai, Hokage-sama. I will personally attend the child's exam. If he passes, he will proceed as a Genin. If he fails, he will be official property of the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai".

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Prologue- Failure's resolve

Naruto gulped nervously as his name was called for the final portion of the Graduation Exam, the Bunshin no Jutsu.

Naruto stood up, attempting to mask his anxiousness with a look of confidence, but promptly failed. His legs shook with every step he made towards the classroom where the test would take place, making his walk to onlookers look quite awkward. Chuckles sprouted from around the class room as the blonde finally exited the room. Damn his sensitive ear for hearing the laughter. His confidence level had been shit before, but now it was almost non-existent.

Naruto had stayed up till three in the morning studying for the written portion of the exam and practicing the Bunshin Jutsu. Luckily, Naruto was adequate enough with the Kawarmi and the Henge to not need to study for them, as was his projectile throwing, but his constant ditching of class damaged his knowledge necessary to pass the written exam. However, the lack of knowledge for the written exam was fixable through cramming, while the Bunshin Jutsu was still a mystery. What the hell was he doing wrong? No matter what, the blonde couldn't get the damn jutsu done correctly. He listened to the Instructor Iruka vigorously when it came to jutsu, but his clones always came out…well, pathetic. They were unusable for combat. He had spent hours upon hours practicing the night before, but eventually gave up, exhausted after so many jutsu attempts and having studied for the written exam hours beforehand . He would have to roll with luck it seemed.

Naruto opened the door to class room A31, being met and by the faces of his two Sensei's Iruka and Mizuki. Iruka and Mizuki were fairly nice to him, which cannot be said for the rest of the village. The two taught equally as much as the other students. Well, when he decided to go to class that is. The two instructors were pretty young, but so were most of the Shinobi in the village. Hell, academy students became Shinobi at the ripe age of 12.

Iruka, who was writing something down on a clipboard, looked up from his work and gazed at his favorite Jinchuuriki once he heard him enter the room.

"Alright then Naruto, you know the drill. Make three flawless clones and you earn yourself a Hitai-ate and become a protector of the village and its interests."

Naruto clenched his fists together.

It was show time.

The orange clad Ninja in training raised his hands into the respectable hand signs for the clone technique and held in his breath as he began to release navy blue energy from his body.

With a large pop and a burst of smoke, a distinct plop could be heard on the wooden floor. Naruto watched in horror as the smoke cleared and revealed a pale half dead looking version of himself. Naruto's heart nearly shattered into thousands of pieces as he realized this was the final time he would be able to take his test. He would never be given the chance to become a Shinobi. His dream could never become a reality. He would never be Hokage now.

Naruto braced himself for the shouting that was sure to ensue. Could this day get any worse?

Of course, this IS Naruto we're talking about, the village's pariah.

Before Iruka could let out his shouts of frustration, Mizuki burst into smoke, revealing a man draped in a white cloak and ANBU mask, the same man who spoke with the Hokage the night before.

Iruka nearly fell out of his chair, being caught off guard by the sudden interruption, but was quickly able to regain his composure. The chunnin darted to the side, quickly grabbing a kunai from his pouch.

" Mizuki!? What is the meaning of this? What is an ANBU agent doing disguised as a graduation exam proctor! ANSWER ME!" Iruka shouted

It was absurd. Why in God's name would an ANBU agent disguise himself to attend an academy examination? It was suspicious. Him revealing himself during the Jinchuuriki's test didn't help either.

The cloaked man raised a hand at the Instructor.

"Stand down Umino. Im here on orders issued by the Hokage himself."

Naruto perked up at this.

"Jiji?"

The old man had sent him? Hey, maybe he understood all along how bad ass of a ninja he could be, even without the clone jutsu. This ANBU guy must be allowing him to graduate anyways. Yeah, that's got to be it.

" Do I-"

" Don't talk" The Commander interrupted. "Uzumaki Naruto, you've failed the examination that would otherwise enroll you into the Shinobi program."

Naruto let his shoulders drop upon hearing the news. So he wouldn't be allowed to graduate after all.

" You are pitiful, weak, pathetic. You lack determination and discipline. You do not deserve to be a Shinobi of the village".

Naruto sniffed at the harsh words, throwing his sight to the ground and holding tears back.

Why was he being so mean about this? Didn't he know it was bad enough that he already failed? This was just adding insult to injury.

" However, that doesn't mean that you are completely unusable in the future."

Naruto paused and looked up to look the ANBU in the eyes.

" Ive turned many men much like just like you into weapons. Into elite. You're being recruited Uzumaki."

Now it was time for Iruka to go into shock. Naruto was being recruited into ANBU?

" Wait a minute!" the man exclaimed loudly. " You can't recruit Naruto into _ANBU_, are you fucking crazy? The kid can't even do one of the three basic jutsu. You can't just sign him up into a force that specializes in assassinations. That's suicide!"

The ANBU shook his head at Iruka's words. As if ANBU would ever allow a Green Academy Student into their forces.

" He's not being instated into ANBU immediately. While it is not a secret, it is mostly unknown that there is a program that trains possible-ANBU candidates outside of normal procedure. Naruto here has failed the examination three times, giving him eligibility for the program. He will be trained by the best that Konaha has to offer."

The ANBU stood up from his seat and walked to the stunned boy who was still standing from where he took his test. The Commander took a piece of paper from a pouch on his pants and handed it to the blonde.

" Meet me at this location. Luckily, graduation of Genin aligns perfectly with when Basic Training begins for ANBU recruits. Pack a few necessities and leave everything else behind. Training will last 12 weeks. You will not be able to communicate with the outside world until those 12 weeks are up. "

Naruto simply nodded his head, still dumbfounded with what was going on.

" You have no choice in this matter. If you do not show up, will go to your home and drag your sorry ass out of bed. Do we have an understanding here Uzumaki?"

Naruto nodded his head again, except this time, with slightly more gusto.

"Good"

The ANBU Commander turned to Iruka.

" Do not speak of what just happened here to anyone. Doing so will grant you a swift death on orders. This is all Classified information as of now. I only came to witness the boy's incompetence myself to see what I and the ANBU instructors would be dealing with."

Iruka didn't say anything, still steaming about what was going on. Did ANBU not learn their lesson with Itachi? Being an ANBU member does things to one's mind. To have a child so young, an individual's mind who is so easy to bend, was unforgivable.

The ANBU raised an eyebrow at the Instructors silence and shrugged his shoulders. Whatever. With a quick hand sign, the man shushined with a swirl of leaves outside of the academy back to ANBU headquarters.

The two remaining occupants of the room stood in silence for a few moments until Iruka finally walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" Naruto…its best that you leave and prepare for the next 12 weeks. Ill take you out for ramen tonight."

The blonde looked up to Iruka.

"…Sensei? Whats going on? Am I going into ANBU? Am I becoming a Shinobi?"

Iruka paused.

"…Yes Naruto, you're becoming a Shinobi. Come on, ill take you to the door."

The Instructor walked with his little brother figure to the main classroom area, where the rest of the children were chattering with excitement due to them achieving Genin Status.

A female, one of Sasuke's fangirls if Iruka recalled, shouted out to the rest of the class Naruto's lack of a forehead protector and laughter erupted across the classroom.

Iruka watched with slight disgust. Was this Konaha's next generation of defenders?


End file.
